David Brennan, CEO at Nexus Vehicle Rental, has been announced as the winner of EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year (EOY) North programme in the Disruptor category.

David was recognised by a panel of judges for his entrepreneurial spirit, innovative approach, national impact, purpose-driven leadership, strategic direction and value creation abilities.

Nexus is the UK’s leading tech-driven business mobility provider and is unique in the industry, providing access to more than 550,000 vehicles, including 100,000 specialist commercial vehicles, across 2,000 locations. It can source any vehicle, anytime, anywhere through its unique rental booking technology.

David joined Nexus as CEO in 2014 and has since spearheaded Nexus’ rapid growth, increasing revenue by almost double from £42.7m in 2014 to £84.1m in 2018. David has also steered the company through two private equity investments in just three years and under his leadership has won over 200 new clients in the past two years.

Technology is central to the Nexus proposition and David has overseen a succession of innovations that have disrupted the vehicle rental market in his position at the company. These include a unique damage management tool that saves clients money on vehicle repairs and a Management Information (MI) suite that automatically advises customers where their spend could be streamlined.

On being announced as the Disruptor category winner, David said, “It’s been a fantastic few years for Nexus. Our success is down to the dedication of our team and our commitment to continuous development of technological innovations that drive our business and industry forward.

“Technology is at the heart of everything we do and we’ve built up the largest vehicle supply chain in the country, offering access to any vehicle, anytime, anywhere from the palm of a customer’s hand. We also add value to our clients by investing in the development of market-leading software that helps save up to 20% on their rental spend.

“Being announced as the Disruptor winner for such a prestigious award in EOY is a real honour, especially with such a high calibre of business leaders achieving great things in the North. It speaks volumes about the success of our business and its impact in the market – I look forward to leading Nexus into the future as a mobility provider with technology at its core.”
David and Nexus have had a string of award successes over the past 12 months including a National Business Award in the London Stock Exchange Group Scale Up category. David also claimed two Business Desk Leadership Awards in November for Company Leader (100+ employees) and the overall Leader of the Year. In addition to this, Nexus claimed The Medium Business Award at the Yorkshire Business Masters and the Judges’ Leadership Award at the Northern Tech Awards this year.

The EOY awards have been established for over 20 years and have grown to become one the country’s most respected business recognition programmes. They celebrate successful entrepreneurs making a positive impact on their communities and the economy, alongside the legacies they’re building. The winners represent the diversity of the North’s entrepreneurial landscape, with companies from sectors including retail, technology, healthcare, energy and financial services.